Why Your Technology Problem is Actually a Human Problem

Back in February, Harvard Business Review dropped its "9 Trends Shaping Work in 2026" report. (I'll share a link in post comments.) If you read between the lines, the message is loud and clear. Companies are pouring billions into AI, and it is breaking their people.

The report highlights a staggering reality. CEO expectations for AI-driven growth remain sky-high, yet Gartner research finds that only one in 50 AI investments delivers transformational value. Only one in five delivers any measurable return on investment.

Why? Because leaders are treating AI like a standard software upgrade when it is actually a massive human transformation. They think they have a technology problem. They actually have a human problem.

At Everdare Advisors, we spend our days in the trenches with leaders trying to navigate this exact friction. When we look at the trends HBR identified, we don't see an inevitable future state. We see a roadmap of the exact mistakes organizations are making right now. We also see the specific human infrastructure required to fix them.

Here is our take on the four most critical trends, and what you actually need to do about them.

Trend 1: AI Layoffs Outpace AI Productivity Gains

The HBR Finding: Companies are laying people off in anticipation of AI-driven productivity gains that haven't materialized. Less than 1% of layoffs in early 2025 were actually due to AI making people more productive. Instead, CEOs are cutting headcount, assuming the tech will catch up, and leaving their remaining workforce to drown in the messy middle.

The Everdare POV: This is what happens when you prioritize efficiency over reality. You cannot cut your way to innovation. When you lay people off before the technology is actually carrying the load, you don't end up with a leaner company. You end up with a terrified workforce that is too busy surviving to experiment with the very tools you want them to use.

The organizations that will win this era aren't the ones cutting headcount the fastest. They are the ones aggressively upskilling their middle managers to lead through the ambiguity of this transition. You need leaders who can manage the anxiety of that "messy middle" without losing the plot.

Trend 2: Culture Dissonance Holds Organizations Back

The HBR Finding: There is a profound disconnect between the culture organizations claim to have and the reality employees experience. Companies are subtly but consistently expecting more output from employees without offering more in return, leading to declining engagement and degraded performance.

The Everdare POV: We call this the "Trust vs. Visibility" gap. You cannot mandate high performance in an environment where psychological safety is eroding. When leaders push for AI acceleration but fail to communicate a clear narrative about what that means for their people, the result isn't speed. It is resistance.

This is why executive alignment is non-negotiable. If your C-suite isn't telling the exact same story about why you are adopting AI and how it impacts the humans doing the work, your culture will fracture. You need a unified Story Operating System (SOS) that builds trust rather than creating rumors.

Trend 3: AI Takes a Toll on Mental Fitness

The HBR Finding: The prolonged use of generative AI is causing real cognitive and emotional damage, yet 91% of IT leaders say their organizations dedicate little to no time scanning for the behavioral byproducts of AI use.

The Everdare POV: This is the most dangerous blind spot in corporate America right now. We are treating AI like a simple calculator when it is actually a cognitive collaborator. You cannot introduce a tool that fundamentally alters how humans think and process information without assessing the psychological toll.

Before you scale AI across your enterprise, you need a true diagnostic of your human infrastructure. You need to know where the friction is, how your people are actually interacting with the technology, and what support systems are required to prevent cognitive burnout. If you don't measure the human impact, you will pay for it in turnover and lost productivity.

Trend 4: "Workslop" Becomes a Top Productivity Drain

The HBR Finding: By mandating AI use without proper change strategy, organizations have incentivized "workslop" - quickly produced, low-quality AI-generated work that is riddled with errors and takes other employees hours to clean up.

The Everdare POV: This is the ultimate irony. In the rush to become more productive, we have created an entirely new category of busywork. "Workslop" is the direct result of deploying technology without redesigning the workflow.

You cannot just hand your team a new tool and tell them to go faster. You need an AI Integration Blueprint that identifies the highest-leverage, lowest-risk areas for AI within your specific workflows. The goal isn't to generate more output. The goal is to generate better outcomes. That requires human judgment, and human judgment requires training, time, and intentional design.

The Bottom Line

The organizations that thrive in 2026 and beyond won't be the ones with the best AI tools. They will be the ones with the bravest, most resilient human cultures.

Stop trying to fix your technology problem. Start building your human infrastructure.